Case Study Follow-Up

 Last week I wrote a blog post about how misogyny is alive and well in the medical profession and society as a large. My post was viewed >47,000 times and shared 152 times. (I tried to post as much as IG would allow but it’s incomplete here. Link to full post in bio.)

There has been much discussion on this topic and I have had several days to think over this issue.

The first rebuttal I’ve heard is that, well, the company apologized so they should be forgiven.

Let me ask you this. If I were in a relationship with an abusive partner, would you tell me to forgive and forget? If I were in an abusive workplace, would you tell me to give grace? Sure, forgiveness is a tool that we can use to set ourselves free. But should you forget someone’s colors after they’ve shown them to you?

Some of you are probably thinking “well was that really abuse?” The answer is YES. Being demeaned and the subject of a “joke” based on your gender and credentials is abuse. The partner who tells you that you’re too (insert adjective here) is abusive. The boss who tells you that you’re not (insert adjective here) enough is abusive. 

The women who portrayed the physician as an idiot are abusive. Being a female does not preclude one from abusing other woman. (This is internalized misogyny — see my blog post.) Being abused and then being gaslighted that “it was just a joke are both abuses.

The other rebuttal I’ve heard is that the company showed a male nurse reading the same book upside down. Ok well let me ask you this. Where is the ad for the male physician reading a dummies’ series book upside down? *crickets*

In sum, the immediate issue is, yes, this company messed up. 

Really the larger issue at hand is why do people need to or think it’s acceptable to demean accomplished women??

I’ll be over here saving lives but please do let me know when you have an answer.